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Cllr Deirdre Alden (Cons, Edgbaston) said: “Birmingham’s grammar schools are amongst the best in the country, both in terms of educational attainment and the outreach work they do to promote social mobility.

“They have been used as an exemplar within the national funding announcement for their work in supporting access to disadvantaged pupils.

(Image: PA)

"However demand far outstrips supply and we know that parents are desperate for more places to be made available. Birmingham’s grammars should be given every opportunity to expand and allow more local children to benefit from their success.”

Her colleague cllr Gary Sambrook (Cons, Kingstanding) added that grammar schools increase social mobility but offering places to children from poorer areas who miss out on other outstanding schools because their families are priced out of a move to the catchment areas.

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“Our grammar schools are working hard to ensure that every child who attends is able to reach their full potential regardless of their social background or where they went to primary school,” he said.

They stressed that the Government money is only available for grammar schools and is not available for and would not be taken from other types of schools in the city.

Ruling Labour group councillors accused the Conservative Government of short-changing wider education in favour of its grammar school policy.

Coun Gary Sambrook in his day job.

Cllr John Clancy (Lab, Quinton), a former school teacher, said: “Grammar schools are not what the people of Birmingham want in this city. I spent most of my life teaching in comprehensive schools and most had 33 per cent of pupils on free school meals.

“Grammar schools are not going to give those people a ladder, it would pull the ladder up and set fire to it.”